


specta ad astra

by Kairousels



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alien Prince Chanyeol, Alternate Universe - Space, Drama, M/M, Outer Space, Red String of Fate, Romance, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Soulmates, X-EXO Clone Kim Jongin | Kai, X-EXO Clone Park Chanyeol, those are the only spoilers you're gonna get in the tags ;)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:42:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28223334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairousels/pseuds/Kairousels
Summary: Prince Chanyeol has long given up on trying to find his soulmate until an unknown pilot crashlands on his planet.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 13
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A very special thank you to @chankaichaos on twitter for helping correct the title to properly translate to 'Look to the stars' :3

Chanyeol straightens his back in his chair, trying to stay alert as he listens to the council men and women speak in hushed tones. They all sit in the main hub of the ship as they make their way to a nearby moon base that houses the Council of Xlierin.

He had been chosen to be a representative in the council a couple centuries ago and being that he is the Crowned Prince of his people, he’s still very involved with any diplomatic missions the council embarks on. 

His people, the Askari, have always been diplomats. They help others in need and keep the peace in the galaxy as best as they can. They’re powerful beings and Chanyeol has yet to come across another race that could fully match his people in battle. Not that Chanyeol would want to fight to find out. He’s done his best to keep his planet’s people as far away from war as possible. 

It has happened a few times in his lifetime back when his mother was the main acting figure of the crown. Times have changed though, and in his two hundred and forty-six years of ruling over his people, he has managed to make numerous peace treaties not only between his people but between other species as well.

He’s proud of his job, and he knows his people adore him for working so hard, but sometimes, he thinks he just needs a break.

‘ _A Crowned Prince’s duty is to his people,_ ’ his mother would say. ‘ _His wants and needs come second._ ’

Chanyeol has grown up hearing these words, seen how his other siblings would be lectured the same, and still do as he pleased. Chanyeol is different. 

He really has nothing _but_ to lead his people.

No other purpose.

No reason for getting up every morning besides ensuring the safety of his kingdom and those around him. 

It’s why he never allowed himself to have a break, to try to pass this burden of the crown onto someone else.

Too many people look to him for answers, answers that sometimes even he doesn’t have.

In his three hundred and seventy-two years of life, he’s given his all to his people because that is his _hwaklin-_ his duty given to him at birth. Everyone on his planet lives to serve a certain task to their society. His just happens to be to keep the entire planet from turning on itself or for others to turn on it.

In his culture, though, there are two duties that one must carry out in one’s life to make it to the next.

A duty to their people, and a duty to their mate.

An Askari meeting their mates works differently than most species Chanyeol has ever encountered. They age up until a certain point, then their internal clock stops. That is, until they come across their destined mate. 

A glowing string of light will connect the two in an instant, flashing bright as it ties their souls to allow them to age together. 

Chanyeol has seen it happen on many occasions. 

But never to him.

He has been alive for so, so many years, and has watched friends as well as loved ones meet their _Dsaeri._

He's watched them grow old with each other. Pass away with each other.

Chanyeol looks at his hands in the bright lighting of the ship as it begins to dock at the nearby lunar base. Everyone starts to get up from their seats but he lingers, eyes flitting to his left ring finger. 

It’s empty, void of any color.

He catches a glance of his advisor’s left ring finger, a hint of jealousy bubbling in his gut at the sight of the red ring glinting around his finger as the other moves to grab his belongings. His advisor catches him staring, giving Chanyeol a sad look. 

“You make me feel bad every time you look at me like that.”

Chanyeol takes a deep breath, getting up and adjusting his robes. “It’s nothing Kyungsoo. Don’t worry about it.”

Kyungsoo puts a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder for a moment, and it eases the prince’s nerves a little. “Have faith Chanyeol. Even a prince as busy as you is bound to come across their _Dsaeri_ eventually.”

The prince smiles, his hands curling into little fists at his sides. “How is Minseok, by the way? I haven’t seen him since your soul bonding ceremony.”

Kyungsoo smiles, walking side by side with the Prince as they follow the others on the ship to a large meeting room. “He’s great. He’s still growing used to the palace life, but it’s definitely an adjustment he and his family are quite enjoying.” 

“Perks of being the Prince’s Advisor’s mate,” Chanyeol chuckles. He pulls out Kyungsoo’s seat for him, giving a sincere look to the other man as he sits down. “If you guys ever need anything, let me know.”

“We won’t, but I’m thankful nonetheless,” Kyungsoo says cheekily. Chanyeol can’t help the quirk in his lips at the others teasing tone.

He and Kyungsoo have been friends since childhood. Kyungsoo had been the son of one of the maids that lived in the royal palace, and he and Chanyeol would get into so much mischief together. They still do, if Chanyeol is quite honest with himself. But now, things have changed. After Chanyeol had chosen Kyungsoo to become his Royal Advisor once he became Crowned Prince, they both had been exhaustingly busy. Then Kyungsoo met his mate, and while Chanyeol is unbelievably happy for him, it left him with no one but his own company when they weren’t off trying to keep the peace with the rest of the galaxy.

Kyungsoo hands Chanyeol a copy of the treaty that he had made last night, and the prince pretends to glance it over while the Dlorski Queen across the long table does the same. Other members of the Council of Xlierin gather attention, talking of the wonders of galactic peace and how this is just one step further to achieving it.

Chanyeol zones out, having heard this entirely too many times. Kyungsoo, though, intensely listens as he folds his hands neatly on the table.

The prince glances to the other’s ring, glinting ever so slightly again as if mocking Chanyeol.

It hurts to think about too long.

The fact that he should be able to feel a pull towards his fated soulmate.

He has been told all his life by friends and family alike that it is common to feel the presence of one’s mate in your heart, even if you have never met them.

That even if you are planets apart, they feel as if they are right there with you

But Chanyeol?

His heart just feels empty.

And as he sits there, signing a peace treaty between him and another kingdom, he feels himself just becoming hollow.

Maybe this is all he can become.

Maybe this was all his life was meant for.

  
  


~

  
  


Jongin frantically moves from place to place inside his ship, barely able to hear himself hyperventilating over the sound of the blaring alarms going off in the background. He flips a switch, jamming his index finger into a few of the buttons at the top of the control panel. He slams his hand on one of the larger buttons to activate the commands he just inputted. The alarms cease, but he can’t seem to get anything else to respond even when he tries something else.

Jongin cries out when nothing works, sprinting back to the cockpit and screaming into the camera live streaming back to Earth.

“Mayday! Mayday! This is EXO Seven-Fourty-Three! Engines have malfunctioned near space oddity after collision with an unknown object…. I-I’ve lost control!!”

Jongin messes with the radio, it whirring as he tries to get a signal. Thunderous sounds of bending metal ring louder than the alarms and it makes Jongin tear up.

His heart plummets as he waits, tears rolling down his cheeks at the sound of pure static answering his calls. He slams his fist on the dashboard, shoulders shaking as he looks at his home- his Earth- but a spec in the distance.

“Please…” He says brokenly into the mic, falling to his knees and sobbing. “Some help me… Someone please.”

The ship rattles and Jongin stops crying in panic. He looks around with wide eyes, breath hitched as the rattling gets louder. He can feel it, as he sits on the ground and he shakily gets up.

But he can’t get his footing.

Suddenly, there is no gravity holding him down and as the lights start to flicker, Jongin realizes the power in his ship is failing. 

“No!” He chokes out, just as the cabin is flooded in darkness. He can’t see anything and he frantically feels around for some source of light. He has to maneuver himself around, tears not even falling down his cheeks now that the gravity stabilizer is gone. They just collect around his eyes and the feeling just makes him cry even harder.

He tears open some drawers, not even caring that the contents are probably floating all over the place now. Jongin feels around for a flashlight, letting out a sob of relief when he flicks it on and light floods the cabin.

It’s then that the ship rattles again, only this time Jongin watches in horror as something else collides with his ship outside.

He barely has any time to react before he’s thrown to the side. He hits his head on the dashboard hard, immediately blacking out.

  
  


~

  
  


Jongin’s eyes groggily open, eyelashes feeling strangely clumped and ears ringing so loudly he can barely even think. His face scrunches up and he whimpers as he registers how cold he feels, like he’s been sleeping outside in a blizzard.

His vision starts to clear and he sees the thin layer of ice starting to form in the cockpit. He can’t feel his fingers or toes, barely able to move them when he tries. 

The very little light offered by the flashlight held mid air by the lack of gravity allows him to see the ice forming on his hands too. Probably from having wiped his tears earlier.

Jongin blearily tries to move around, eyes widening in horror when he realizes it’s getting hard to breath.

The violent ringing in his ears starts to soften, enough that he can hear the ship speaking to him.

“ _-ygen levels are depleting. Warning. Oxygen levels are depleting. Warning._ ”

Jongin grapples at anything nearby, maneuvering himself so he can look out the window. He’s terrified to see some of his ship had just seemingly vanished. Not to mention how close he is to the wormhole now.

The ship’s warning snaps him out of his panic-stricken state, as well as the fact his last couple gasps for air were almost impossible.

He’s choking, and his face is undoubtedly turning red from the lack of oxygen but he does his best to quickly grab his gear and suit up. He feels so weak, shivering so badly he can barely latch the proper buckles into place to seal the suit.

It’s painstakingly long, and Jongin swears he’s on the verge of suffocating when he finally clicks his helmet into place.

His oxygen turns on and his suit registers his low body temperature, steadily warming him up. He breathes in greedily, so light headed at the moment that he’s almost grateful he doesn't have to walk. 

Jongin claws his way to the cockpit just as he hears a loud roar of _something_ being torn off his ship, quickly and clumsily strapping himself into his chair. He reaches for the still streaming camera, the little red light continuing to blink as if mocking him in a way despite there not being any power.

His voice trembles as he watches his ship grow closer and closer to the wormhole, the space around it warping into what seems to be two dimensional.

“I-If anyone sees this… Know that I will probably not survive the trip t-through the oddity. If you can… p-please tell my family I love them. That I’m s-sorry I ever left their side.”

Jongin gets choked up, voice cracking at the end. He shuts off the stream, hoping with every fiber of his being that _someone_ hears it.

He’s sobbing again as his ship seems to teeter on the edge of the wormhole. He closes his eyes and braces himself when it finally enters it.

There is a harsh jerk and an ear piercing noise of metal being torn apart.

Jongin screams.

  
  


~

  
  


Chanyeol has been feeling very odd since the beginning of this meeting.

They’re on yet another peacekeeping mission with the council of Xlierin. The prince, if he’s being quite honest with himself, had been bored as one of his fellow councilmen talked up the Lukjin Princess about his planet’s fine cuisine, how she should visit sometime and he would show her around. Chanyeol is not one to participate in such blatant forms of flirtation to win favors, so he’s ignored all attempts from others to bring him in on the conversation.

Even Kyungsoo is clearly irritated at the time being wasted here, especially with the way he sighs every few moments and adjusts his white robes.

It isn’t until Chanyeol feels an unbearably tight feeling in his chest, does he excuse himself.

Kyungsoo follows him out of the room, as a royal advisor should, a question on his lips. However, before he can speak, Chanyeol suddenly stops mid step.

His breath hitches, a flare of uncontrollable energy coursing through him and he has to use everything in his power to keep away the fire threatening to form at his fingertips.

Kyungsoo notices the sparks of red coming from his palm, visibly shocked. Chanyeol, though, finds himself shocked for a whole other reason.

Because he swears, in the heat of the moment, that he saw a faint red ring flash around his ring finger.

The flare of energy, as quick as it came, leaves in an instant. It leaves both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol confused for the rest of the evening. Askari usually have such great control over their powers that this doesn’t make sense. But they don’t have time to question it, because soon enough, they are being sought out by another council member, telling them to return as soon as possible.

The prince and his advisor share a look, silently agreeing to talk about it later and to just continue on with the peacekeeping mission.

The rest of the evening ran smoothly. No more flare-ups, but that strange sensation in his chest still gnaws at his curiosity. Even as he shakes hands with the Lukjin Princess in front of him, bowing to her and thanking her for her time, he still feels it. 

He tries to make conversation with her, a polite one, asking more about her culture and her people to try to get this off his mind. She’s happily telling him about traditions held dear to her people when suddenly, the doors to the meeting room slam open.

Everyone whips their heads around and Chanyeol sees Kyungsoo standing there, looking very distressed and out of breath.

“My Prince,” Kyungsoo says, and Chanyeol’s blood freezes. Kyungsoo never calls him that unless it’s a dire situation. It’s a sort of code between them. “I’m afraid I need a moment of your time in private.”

Chanyeol nods stiffly, bowing once again to the princess beside him and swiftly walking over to Kyungsoo.

The other man practically drags him down the hallways once they’re out of the meeting room, Chanyeol only able to blink confusedly as his advisor brings him toward his personal security team. They’re all lined up and waiting for them, kneeling for a moment and putting a hand over their heart in greeting before getting up and escorting them towards the ship bays.

“Kyungsoo, what is going on?” Chanyeol whispers.

“You must return home immediately.” 

Chanyeol waits until they are in one of the private ships owned by the Council of Xlierin, immediately going to one of the private rooms in the back as his security detail works to get the ship up and running. The moment the door slides shut, Kyungsoo lets his true panic show on his expression, eyes bright as he speaks softly so that no one else could overhear.

“Someone… _Something_ has crash landed on our planet. But we don’t know who or what they are.”

Chanyeol swallows, sitting down as he gets a little light headed. “Are you saying…”

“They’re of a completely new species we haven’t seen before.” 

Chanyeol stares, lips parted in shock. There aren’t just any _new species_ around anymore. Space exploration has died out and is only really good for the far sections of the galaxy. Nothing can even get _in_ this sector of the galaxy without having to go through several security checkpoints, so for an unknown species to just crash land on Chanyeol’s homeworld? It’s next to impossible.

“Are they alive?”

“We think so. They’re at our government facility in the mountains of Lakmaen. I told our security detail to take us straight there.”

The prince feels like the wind is being knocked out of him. He feels the ship rumble, a sure sign it is leaving the base and the gravitational field of the moon they were on.

“We need to keep this quiet. At least until we understand what happened. The entire solar system will be up in arms if they find out an unknown species got through the most technologically advanced protection system in the galaxy. We can’t afford that kind of panic until we know for sure what we’re dealing with.”

Kyungsoo nods. “I agree.”

Chanyeol slumps in his chair, brows furrowed. “Will I get to see this unknown species?”

“I already warned the facility of your arrival. They are highly against the Prince of their planet being there without knowing if this thing is a threat, but I told them to prepare for you regardless.”

“Good,” Chanyeol says, feeling antsy all of a sudden. That pulling sensation in his chest is still there and it only makes him even more stressed. Thought after thought runs through his head and he just wishes he could get to the facility faster.

This is going to be the longest ride he’s ever had to experience, he can already tell. 

  
  


~

  
  
  


Chanyeol is guided through the long halls of the government facility by his security detail. They take him to a restricted access zone, workers of all kinds stopping and moving to the side. They bow their heads in respect when they see their Crowned Prince being escorted, and while Chanyeol would normally smile and greet them all, he is entirely too focused at the moment.

He and his security detail walk with purpose, the tail of his white coat hitting his calves with each step. Kyungsoo is still beside him, struggling to keep up with the Prince’s long stride. Beside _him_ , is a doctor that had previously examined the crashlander. 

“Tell me more about this… pilot.”

“Well, what we know so far, My Prince, is that he is alone and is very, very hurt. It seems that his ship was severely damaged and he took the brunt of their injuries from the impact.”

“Do we know what he looks like?”

“Well… no, My Prince. The pilot is in a suit of some kind. We’re worried puncturing the suit in any way may cause more harm. It seems to be sustaining the pilot’s life so you can see why we are hesitant on the matter.”

Chanyeol’s face turns serious. “If he is injured, he must be treated immediately.”

The doctor sighs, obviously stressed. “Yes, but in doing so we might kill him in the process.”

Chanyeol stops, a member of his security team nearly running into him. “What do you mean?”

“If we remove the suit, we don’t know for sure if this pilot can breathe the same compounds as we do and survive. We have to be more careful than that.”

Kyungsoo’s face scrunches up. “Who would land on a planet that they know they can’t survive on?”

It’s silent for a few moments before Chanyeol speaks up, voice low. “Unless it really was an accident.”

Kyungsoo shoots him a worried look. The prince sighs, walking again with the doctor as they approach the health center of the facility.

“What are we doing for the pilot now, then?”

“We’re monitoring his vitals,” the doctor says, a hint of sadness to his tone. “We don’t know what is normal or what is abnormal for him, but the least we can do is make sure he’s still alive. We’re trying to use as much of our equipment as we can to get answers but… Until he wakes up, there isn’t much else we can do.”

Just as the doctor finishes speaking, they stop in front of the observation window. His security detail is dismissed, for now, guarding the doors and waiting for further commands as the prince stares worriedly through the tinted glass.

Chanyeol takes in the pathetic sight of the pilot in front of him, how his tattered and burned suit clings loosely to him. The Prince notices a few patches on the side of the pilot's arms, squinting to see what they say but is unable to read the foreign characters.

The helmet is very tinted, not allowing anything behind it to be seen in any sort of way. It looks dented, like the pilot suffered a few head injuries while inside of it during the crash landing. 

It’s strange, completely strange, but Chanyeol can barely take his eyes off this creature lying limp on the health center bed as their vital signs hover above their body in a bright yellow color. He’s in a trance of sorts, staring hard at the hand of the pilot as if waiting for some sort of movement.

It’s only when Kyungsoo clears his throat, does Chanyeol realize that the other was talking to him.

“Sorry… I didn’t hear you.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo says softly. He gestures to a door to their left. “I was saying that if you wanted to see some of the pilot’s ship we recovered, we can go now. I’m not sure when this pilot will wake up so maybe we can find some answers in the meantime.”

"Yes. Lead the way," Chanyeol says, hesitant to leave but does anyway. He follows Kyungsoo down the hall, that strange pulse of energy coming back to him once again. 

He worries for the pilot. Severely so.

Chanyeol just hopes with every fiber of his being that when he wakes up, he doesn't freak out too much and become violent.

Or worse. That the pilot really is a threat to the safety of those around him.

  
  


~

  
  


Jongin groans groggily. His face scrunches up from the pain radiating through his body, trying to move his legs but is unable to even _feel_ one of them.

He whimpers and lolls his head to the side, but his helmet doesn’t allow him much room. 

Jongin opens his eyes slowly, head pounding. He blinks a few times, squinting as some sort of dull light in front of him. He can’t see anything else, though, because of the intensity of the tint on his helmet. Afterall, it was meant to protect his eyes from looking into something as bright as the sun.

How the fuck is he still alive?

Is he just suspended in dead space?

At least his suit seems to be undamaged. 

“Oxygen levels?” Jongin asks weakly.

“Oxygen levels at 94%,” a chipper voice answers back. Jongin sighs in relief. One less thing to worry about.

He tries to lift his hand to press the button on the outside of his helmet so he can retract the tint, but he can’t move it. He grunts, struggling.

His stomach drops when he feels something holding him down.

Jongin’s pulse skyrockets, anxiety shooting through him. He struggles harder, whimpering pathetically when either of his arms don’t budge. He’s beginning to hyperventilate, so tense he’s trembling.

But then he feels a gentle touch to the glove of his suit and he goes deathly still.

His eyes tear up instantly when the restraints seem to be removed, the touch gone as soon as it came.

If this were his people- if he had been _rescued_ , the doctors would have removed his suit.

He wouldn’t be _restrained_ to god knows what.

Jongin shakily brings his hand to his helmet again, fingers hovering over the button to lift the tint. He chokes on a sob when he hears a whisper of a language he’s never heard before. He grits his teeth.

In a split second decision, he presses the button. A bright light assaults his vision and he hisses, clenching his eyes shut as the tint lifts. He turns his head to the side, recoiling from it. He hears a hurried voice say _something_ and suddenly the lights are dimmed. 

It's deathly silent and Jongin decides to be brave, cracking open his eyes.

The first thing he registers are white floors, and black shoes. Jongin gulps, eyes slowly trailing up the body in front of him. He's frozen in complete fear at the creature before him, it staring at him with calculating neon yellow eyes. Its features are not in any way human, not with how the skin is a pigmented blue and is raised in areas to create streaking patterns.

He slowly looks around the room, wide-eyed as he takes in the other creatures staring at him warily. He doesn't dare move, scared out of his mind. He doesn't even feel the tears running down his face, adrenaline just pumping through his veins and making him completely numb. 

One of the creatures moves a little, dropping something in their hands. Jongin’s reaction is immediate the moment metal clangs loudly to the floor, triggering an outright panic attack.

He screams, thrashing on what seems to be a bed like surface and trying to crawl away.

“No!” He cries when one of the _things_ reaches out to him, making him actually fall off the bed when he recoils. 

He hits the ground hard, screaming for a whole other reason when pain from his leg makes his vision darken. He tries his best to curl up against the wall, hiding his face and wailing incoherently.

  
  


~

  
  


Chanyeol picks up what appears to be some sort of wrapped bar. He opens it, it smelling fresh and edible. The more he examines it and the rest of the box he found it in, he realizes it must be food.

He puts it down, sighing and looking at the wreckage around him. 

The ship the pilot had crash landed on was practically destroyed, nothing really remaining left. Surprisingly, all that remained were boxes of valuables that seemed to be stored within the ship. The outside of them are almost like capsules, seemingly made of indestructible materials that some of Chanyeol’s people can’t even _open_.

Chanyeol thinks it’s all just strange.

Why make the contents of the ship so well made, but not the ship itself?

If this pilot was here to do harm, wouldn’t he need a better-equipped ship? 

The prince picks up what other scientists have deemed to be a piece of the outside of the ship, eyebrows furrowing when he sees some sort of drawing on it. It looks similar to the patch on the pilot’s suit, only it’s burnt. Probably from when the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere.

Chanyeol puts it back down, just looking out at all the recovered pieces in utter confusion. He’s about to examine what seemed to be the inner console of the ship when Kyungsoo runs in.

His advisor looks frazzled, to say the least, chest heaving like he had just been running. “My Prince! The pilot’s awake!”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen and he doesn’t even hesitate to run out the doors, Kyungsoo hot on his tail. He goes straight to the observation window, sliding to a stop. His breath hitches when he sees the pilot now out of the bed, uncomfortably huddled in the corner of the room and screaming in fear.

His leg is bent at an awkward angle compared to the other, and Chanyeol hopes that's natural or else he might have broken something. The room is a mess, and some of the medical team are trying to approach the pilot. However, he keeps screaming in some sort of language Chanyeol has never heard in his entire life of dealing with other alien cultures.

Chanyeol presses his hands to the glass, looking just as panicked as everyone else in that room. He thinks he hears Kyungsoo say something beside him, but it doesn’t register. That broken scream is hurting his heart for some reason, and in a split second decision, he’s running to the sealed door leading into the observation room.

One of the members of his security team tries to stop him, but he’s already inside. The door slams shut behind him and hisses as it seals. The medical team in the room goes silent and stop moving altogether as the prince’s security team bang their fists on the door.

Chanyeol ignores them- ignores everyone as he walks forward. The medical team backs away to give their prince room as he slowly makes his way to the pilot.

The pilot is crying, very badly from what Chanyeol can hear. He seems incoherent at the moment as he tries to hide his face in the wall.

Chanyeol’s heart tugs at the sight and his hands ball into fists. He turns to face the medical team, expression stern. He orders them out, thinking maybe having too many people in here all at once is too intimidating for the pilot to handle. He waits until the last member of the team leaves, gulping as he briefly makes eye contact with his advisor through the glass. Kyungsoo looks just as horrified as the rest of his security team, but Chanyeol ignores them for now.

The pilot releases another cry, this one sounding like he’s slurring words into it. Chanyeol turns to focus on him, biting his lip and sighing.

The prince gets on his knees, focusing solely on the other being in front of him. He makes a soft noise in his throat to try to get the others attention.

"Hey.... hey, it's okay... You're okay." 

Chanyeol knows the other can't understand him, but he hopes his soothing tone helps in some way. The pilot didn’t seem to hear him though, so he tries another route.

The prince hesitantly reaches out and presses his hand to the other's arm, just enough to try to get his attention. The pilot jerks away instantly, and for the first time, Chanyeol gets a look at the other's face.

He has wide, red-rimmed eyes. Tear tracks run down his face and soak his flushed cheeks. He’s a mess, a complete and pitiful mess, but Chanyeol is in awe.

The pilot is beautiful. Tan, warm colored skin, with thick eyebrows and high cheekbones. His lips are plump, jawline sharp and eyes a deep brown. His hair is as dark as the night sky, but seems to be matted to his forehead from some sort of perspiration. Overall, he bears an eerie resemblance to Chanyeol's people. But the prince knows better than to assume this situation was that simple. He’s encountered many enemies in the past that have similar features to Askari.

But, despite that- despite the fact the prince should be worried about a potential alien invader from _who knows where_ coming to his planet- Chanyeol is starstruck.

Chanyeol can’t explain it, but he can’t look away. Not for one second. He’s just about to speak again, when that surge of energy he’s been feeling all day heightens out of nowhere.

He has to stumble back in time to make sure that the fire that forms in his palms doesn’t come anywhere near the pilot. The flames burn bright and the heat is intense for a minute until Chanyeol is able to get it back under control. 

The pilot looks visibly alarmed, cries no longer incoherent as he stares at the prince in outright fear. 

Chanyeol looks just as alarmed until he sees a red ring appear around his left ring finger again. This time, a string is attached and it flashes brightly to show who it’s connected to. The prince’s lips part in shock when he sees it lead to the pilot, it connected by a bright ring around the pilot’s gloved finger as well.

“Na Dsaeri…” Chanyeol mumbles breathlessly, the ancient word of his people feeling so foreign on his tongue. 

The pilot swallows harshly, voice high pitched and shaky when he speaks. It sounds like a question and Chanyeol can’t answer, but he’s desperate to. Especially now that the pilot seems to be calming down somewhat.

“Safe…” Chanyeol says softly, trying to convey his sincerity through his eyes. He gestures to the room around him and then to himself. "Safe..."

The pilot’s bottom lip trembles as he starts to cry silently this time, not saying anything in return. The other’s eyes dart between Chanyeol’s rapidly, thick tears falling down his cheeks. Chanyeol’s heart goes out to him. He can’t imagine the fear he must be feeling.

Normally, with destined pairs, they’re able to sense each other’s emotions, even alleviate them if they’re too extreme. But Chanyeol can’t feel anything. Just his own anxious emotions.

The prince looks down at the red ring around his finger, it now a little faded. Sure enough, though, the string still connects to the pilot. Chanyeol eyes flit to the other’s, holding up his hand so the pilot can see. He points to the red ring, a little more desperate now.

“Safe,” Chanyeol tries again, pointing to the faded, sparkling rings on either of their fingers. 

The pilot’s face looks more confused than ever, even glancing at his hand and looking at Chanyeol in question. Chanyeol’s heart sinks.

Can he… not see it?

The prince doesn’t even have time to dwell on it, because suddenly the pilot is trying to shift to get more comfortable but he lets out a short yelp. Chanyeol watches as his face contorts in pain and he sobs a little, gritting his teeth as he looks down at his leg. 

Chanyeol decides to push away his own inner turmoil for now, scooting a little closer to the pilot to try to look at his leg a little better. The prince isn’t sure if the pilot is starting to trust him a little more, or if the other is just too exhausted at this point to have another panic attack like before.

He feels helpless not being able to do anything to take this pain and fear away from his mate, especially when the other’s eyelids start to droop. His face seems to be going a little pale and his eyes are glazed, only this time it’s not just from tears. 

Chanyeol worries at how much the other seems to be going downhill, not liking the way his movements are becoming more sluggish. Even the other man looks scared, crying and whimpering to himself again. 

His body is probably exhausted and needs rest, but if Chanyeol was in his shoes, the last thing he would want to do is rest. He’s scared, undeniably so, and Chanyeol is determined to at least show the other man he can trust in him.

The prince gives him a soft look, patting his own chest a couple times in an exaggerated gesture. 

“Chanyeol,” he says slowly. The other’s pretty brown eyes flit between Chanyeol’s, saying something weakly in response. Chanyeol shakes his head, pressing his hand against his chest again and repeating his name. Slowly, but surely, the pilot mumbles it back.

“C-Chan...yeol.” He has a heavy accent, pronouncing the end of his name in a strange way he’s never heard before. Regardless, Chanyeol can’t help the bright grin spreading onto his face.

Chanyeol nods, beyond excited to hear his mate speak. He gestures to the pilot now, hoping he understands what the prince is asking for. The pilot licks his lips, breath stuttering like he’s in pain but his eyes light up with understanding.

“Jongin…”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen, pursing his lips to try to recreate the same sounds. “Jong...in.”

Jongin releases a small breath in disbelief, nodding feebly and saying something else. Something that sounds like a confirmation.

The prince finds himself smiling a little, but it disappears the moment Jongin starts to grimace. He’s trembling like a leaf and it worries Chanyeol to no end.

Slowly, he reaches out his hand. He keeps his expression genuine, hoping to the Gods that Jongin can see that he only wishes to help.

He can’t tell if Jongin is starting to trust him or that he is just growing so exhausted, but by some miracle, the pilot takes his outstretched palm. The material of Jongin’s glove feels rough against Chanyeol’s skin and he’s fascinated by it. 

All too soon, Jongin is pulling back his hand. Chanyeol almost feels disappointed until he notices Jongin fiddling with a screen on his arm. It seems to speak to him and he messes with the metal of the glove right afterward. The pilot releases many grunts of frustration, but Chanyeol sits still as he eventually takes the glove off.

Smooth, pretty sun kissed skin greets him when Jongin hesitantly puts his hand back out for Chanyeol to take. Chanyeol’s lips part in amazement, taking his hand again.

The red string connecting them glows a vibrant red when Jongin’s long, slender fingers wrap around Chanyeol’s palm. If it weren’t for the fact Jongin was in so much pain, Chanyeol would be grinning so hard.

He finds himself smiling sadly though, especially when he feels how cold Jongin’s fingers are against his. He slowly rests his other palm on top of Jongin’s hand, hoping to warm him up. “You’re so cold.”

Jongin’s shallow breathing and wary eyes are the only answer he seems to get. He seems relieved at the warmth, but he cringes again and fidgets. His eyes close and Chanyeol lets him squeeze his hand like the pilot’s life depends on it. 

Chanyeol watches quietly as Jongin works through what seems to be another wave of pain. He desperately wants to help him, especially when he sees tears shining at the edge of Jongin’s eyes. It doesn’t help that Jongin gives him a desperate look before suddenly crying out, the pilot’s other hand holding his upper thigh.

That’s when the prince decides fuck it. He can’t let Jongin go on like this any longer.

He looks back to the observing window, voice commanding. “I need help!”

It’s seconds before the door is opening the team from before rushing in. Jongin stiffens and holds his hand so tight that it starts to ache, but he focuses on the head doctor rushing over.

“There is something definitely wrong with his leg,” Chanyeol says. “His suit comes off at the metal bands, but be careful when taking it off.”

Jongin says something, sounding entirely too scared for Chanyeol’s liking. Chanyeol shakes his head. “Help.”

Jongin looks at the team around him with fear, but his eyes dart back to Chanyeol and linger there. His bottom lip trembles, tears actually falling down his face.

It’s deathly silent in the room as everyone waits for the pilot’s reaction. Chanyeol squeezes his hand, hoping to offer some sort of comfort.

That seems to do the trick because moments later, Jongin looks away and closes his eyes. He turns his head to the side and Chanyeol takes that as a go-ahead to continue.

He and others gather around, carefully maneuvering him back onto the bed he had been laying on before he had woken up. Jongin releases a short scream of pain, but seems to quiet down afterward. It's only then that Chanyeol realizes he had passed out.

The medical team works more swiftly now, Chanyeol demonstrating how Jongin had removed pieces of the suit before. They’re working on cutting it open now that they know Jongin doesn’t depend on every piece of it to survive.

Chanyeol doesn’t do much except hold Jongin’s hand.

His heart hurts looking at his destined one in such pain, feeling sick with worry especially when he sees the state of Jongin’s leg. He tries not to focus on the red pooling liquid soaking his clothes underneath the thick suit, instead choosing to watch Jongin sleep. 

“You’re going to be okay. You have to be,” Chanyeol whispers, unable to help the tremble in his voice. “You just came to me. You can’t leave me already…”


	2. Chapter 2

Chanyeol stays with Jongin as long as he can, not wanting to leave his Dsaeri’s side, but eventually the medical staff announces to him their plans to treat him. They have to do minor operations on Jongin to stop him from bleeding and to fix the bone properly. Chanyeol knows he would just be in the way, so he leaves. 

Kyungsoo is waiting for him just outside the door and he gives Chanyeol a sympathetic look. He doesn’t say anything, just following the prince to one of the seats in the corner of the room. Chanyeol’s shoulders slump the moment he’s sitting down, rubbing his face with his hands.

It’s quiet for a few moments before Chanyeol sighs. “I know this team is the best of the best, but I need them to be working at a distance from him. They can still call the shots, but I need a full team of Askari tending to him directly.”

Kyungsoo nods. “Yes, my Prince. But why?”

“He looks very similar to us from what I could see, and if it’s true he’s of a race not yet discovered before then well… This may be the first time meeting other civilizations outside of his own.” 

“Are you suggesting that he comes from a primal sort of civilization?” 

“Possibly. We can’t know for sure until we get the translator working for him.” Chanyeol looks through the glass at Jongin lying limp on the bed, wishing he could just take his pain away like a normal mate should be able to.

“The translator won’t be able to analyze his language and mannerisms unless he speaks more.” 

Chanyeol sighs, holding his head. “Have the medical team activate the translator for him anyway. The least it could do is monitor his brain waves and give us some sort of information.” 

“Right away, my Prince. In the meantime, I believe you should rest a bit. You’re looking quite tired.” It is a suggestion but he knows Kyungsoo is serious and would probably pester him if he didn’t.

Chanyeol smiles wryly up at his advisor. “I would like to see the wreckage again. But I promise I will rest afterwards.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “I assume you will remain here in Lakmaen for the time being.”

Chanyeol nods, getting up. “Do what you can to move around my schedule. Tell everyone something important has come up.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, pulling out his holo-pad and tapping away. “The press is going to have a field day with that.” He looks briefly at the glass looking into the observation room. “I’ll have extra royal guards posted by him at all times.”

Chanyeol swallows harshly, saying a soft thank you to his advisor before hesitantly going back towards the hall leading to the wreckage. The large overhang doors open once he’s close enough, his royal access high enough to get him anywhere.

Unlike the last time he was here, he’s completely alone. There is, however, a small bot flying around the wreckage at all angles. It zooms by him, analyzing everything. 

“Anything new discovered?”

The bot halts in its movements, zooming over to Chanyeol and hovering just in front of him. It calculates for a few moments, its smooth voice coming through once it scans Chanyeol.

“We have found an abundance of data, my Prince. Where would you like me to start?”

Chanyeol looks at the dilapidated ship. “Has anything been found about its origins?”

“No, my Prince. Element samples have been taken, but they are still being analyzed. The habitat inside seemed to be heavily supported by oxygen, and was built to cycle out carbon dioxide. We have measured the designated pressure needed to sustain the environment the pilot was living in as well. It seems to match Askari needs.”

“So he breathes similar elements? Good. He’ll be able to live here.” Chanyeol trails off, mind racing. “Is there any data from the ship suggesting the pilot’s home world? Coordinates?”

The bot is quiet, most likely searching it’s memory base. It gives a small little noise. “Data has been recovered, but we are unable to access it, my Prince. It seems to be encrypted in such a way our systems have never encountered.”

Chanyeol slumps, touching the thin metal beside him. He eyes the burnt drawing on the side of the ship, turning his head this way and that. The longer he looks at it, the more confused he becomes.

The bot makes a little chiming noise. “Our systems have found video history within the memory system of the ship. We have translated most of them already, if you would like to see those, my Prince.”

Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat. “Transfer those translations to my quarters. Store them there and don’t let anyone else see them except those with similar access. Oh, and make sure the translator implant they will give the pilot has this information stored in it too.”

Something occurs to him suddenly. 

“What level access is needed to view this case?”

The bot gives a little ringing sound. “High-level access, my Prince.”

High level is too low. 

High enough to keep the media and general public out, but low enough that those with the right clearance are able to snoop if they really wanted. Chanyeol’s expression hardens. “Set all access levels to zero, unless otherwise granted. I want the list of those actively working it sent to my quarters. No one new may be added to this case unless cleared by me or my royal advisor.”

The robot gives a confirmation, and Chanyeol sighs in relief. He looks around at the wreckage, rubbing his face harshly. 

“I am retiring for the night. Please send any updates to my quarters as well.”

“Very well, my Prince.” The robot resumes it’s whizzing around, scanning the wreckage as Chanyeol walks away.

The longer he looks at the scene in front of him, the more questions just circle in his mind. Questions that he knows won’t be answered anytime soon, and that frustrates him to no end.

As a prince, he is worried about Jongin’s intentions behind being on this ship- for ending up here when Chanyeol and his people have never once come in contact with his race. This is something completely unheard of in a time where most of the creatures in the galaxy have been discovered and studied. Any species that is a threat to Chanyeol’s people and their allies have been handled and kept at bay. Chanyeol has personally made sure of this countless times in his long life so far.

As a mate, well. Chanyeol is just scared. He’s scared of what it means to be connected to someone who can’t even see their string of fate. Someone who is not even from his planet, or culture, or even his section of the galaxy.  _ Spirits _ , he doesn’t even know if Jongin will even want anything to do with him.

After all this waiting, all his praying and dreaming about meeting his destined one, and he still doesn’t know what will happen. He doesn’t even know if Jongin is a good person.

Chanyeol frowns deeply, opening the door to his quarters after the system scans his face. He slumps on the small chaise and lets his head fall back so he can stare up at the ceiling.

Surely his spirit wouldn’t lead him to someone with any sort of bad nature right? It wouldn’t make sense… 

Then again spirits are very complicated beings to begin with. They are gods in a sense, so they know more than physical beings like himself. But still. It doesn’t make sense. Not once has an Askari’s chosen one not been of the same origins. Sure many Askari found love with other species, but they are not their chosen ones. 

Priests of the spirits throughout history have theorized that perhaps the aspect of chosen ones is only linked to the spirits themselves. It would help if Chanyeol could just  _ ask _ the spirit inside of him for answers to all of these endless questions, but he’s been told not all are able to communicate with them. The prince had tried to speak to his during his entire childhood with no sort of response, so Chanyeol always assumed his spirit was just ignoring him. 

He’ll have to talk to Minseok when Kyungsoo brings him by to observe Jongin. He’s a lower level priest, but he knows a great deal about the spirits since he was raised on temple grounds.

Chanyeol sighs for the millionth time tonight, looking down at his hands.

He thinks back to Jongin reaching out to him, his cold fingers wrapping around Chanyeol’s palm. Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat as he smiles, touching his palm where Jongin’s slender fingers brushed against his skin. He remembers Jongin’s wary expression, and Chanyeol finds himself hoping that one day Jongin would give the prince the honor of letting him see his smile. The prince’s heart aches at the thought.

It’s then that he recalls the video translations he had sent to his quarters, perking up as he looks for his holopad he knows Kyungsoo left laying around somewhere. He searches the room, finding it easily once he checks his bedside. He sits at the desk there, tapping on the holopad and keying in the correct codes for the video to pop up. The hologram displays in front of him, and he sees the video paused on Jongin reading from something, his gaze looking bored as he holds some sort of thin object in his hands. Chanyeol’s eyes take in how pretty he is with his hair all fluffy and his bright eyes focused.

Chanyeol presses play, practically on the edge of his seat.

“ _ This is Kim Jongin. EXO Seven-Forty-Three for Mission EXODUS. Day 104 of being in space and day 6 of being out of cryosleep. Specs look fine. Minor damage sustained from the asteroid belt while passing by Jupiter. Nothing critical.” _

Chanyeol watches as Jongin twirls the thing in his hand in thought, before he leans into the thing he’s reading. He uses it to mark on the paper, and Chanyeol realizes it must be a pen of sorts. Jongin itches his head with the pen, putting the paper aside and looking at a screen behind the camera.

“ _ Minor analysis has been conducted on the anomaly while I was recovering from the side effects of cryosleep. Unfortunately, there is nothing new to report that we don’t already know back home. I will be sure to offer any more analysis in my next update.” _

Chanyeol is surprised at how detached he sounds, especially when he goes on about his own psychiatric state. The prince supposes this must be required of Jongin, because Chanyeol only acts the same way if he’s forced to do something. Even at the end, Jongin doesn’t offer any sort of goodbye. But luckily for Chanyeol, the records go straight to the next video.

In this one, Chanyeol listens to Jongin read off numbers and throw around terms that don’t seem to translate properly. The prince finds himself feeling so curious of that passionate glint in his chosen one’s eyes, especially when he watches Jongin solve complex equations and get absolutely excited when he seems to get the answer he was hoping for.

Chanyeol goes through multiple videos like this. They all seem to be like diary entries, much like the ones that Chanyeol’s military requires their commanders to go through during deep space missions. Only rather than boring updates on crew members or reports of officers stepping out of line, Jongin seems to be conducting research of some sort on what he refers to as ‘an anomaly’.

Chanyeol gets to see Jongin smile brightly on multiple occasions, even hear him laugh to himself in disbelief as he tells the camera about what he had discovered that day. The prince finds himself completely captivated as he watches, so interested in learning more about Jongin with each passing video.

Who is he? Why was he studying this anomaly? What answers did he get to his equations that made him smile that hard?

Chanyeol feels like a child again, binging his favorite shows until late into the night despite knowing his mother would kill him for it. The prince is all curled up on his bed now, a ghost of a smile on his face as he follows along to Jongin’s rambling even though the translator is hardly working. The longer Chanyeol watches, the more he feels like he is somewhat getting to know his  _ Dsaeri  _ more and more.

He is approaching the end of the videos, and the closer he gets to the very last, the more he sees the light starting to die from Jongin’s eyes. He hardly smiles anymore, and his voice is monotone like it was in the very beginning. From what Chanyeol can understand, he’s frustrated because his calculations aren’t coming out correctly. But something else is wrong. Jongin looks conflicted deep down, and he seems so stressed. The prince feels worry grip his heart, a bad feeling creeping up on him.

The video ends and Chanyeol presses the next video to play, but a voice suddenly plays and the prince recognizes it to be the robot he encountered scanning the wreckage. 

“This next video may be a little hard to watch, my Prince. I’d like to warn you that it shows the pilot’s journey through the anomaly he was studying.”

Chanyeol swallows harshly. “ _ Through _ it?”

“Yes, my Prince. Systems have scanned the wreckage and compared the radiation levels to our data. We have determined that the space anomaly the pilot was studying was indeed a wormhole.”

Chanyeol sits up straight now, heart clenching. His voice is quiet when he speaks, eyes glued to the hologram. “Play it.”

“Yes, my Prince.”

There is a small delay, the hologram blank for a few minutes before the video is suddenly turned on. The camera is shaking, and alarms are blaring in the background. Jongin’s panicked expression makes his heart sink.

_ “Mayday! Mayday! This is EXO Seven-Fourty-Three! Engines have malfunctioned near space oddity after collision with an unknown object…. I-I’ve lost control!!” _

Chanyeol holds his breath when the sound of bending metal roars, watching as Jongin’s eyes fill with tears. There is a static noise in the background as Jongin seems to wait, and Chanyeol realizes he’s waiting for an answer.

Jongin’s head falls, and Chanyeol watches as his Dsaeri cries to himself. He hunches over, looking so alone and scared. Chanyeol feels tense as Jongin begs and sobs in the video. The prince watches in horror when the ship loses power and the gravity disappears. This sends Jongin into a panic as he scrambles for a light source. Suddenly Jongin is slammed into the dashboard beside the camera, and Chanyeol stiffens. He grips his blanket hard, barely breathing as he watches Jongin’s body fall still.

“Come on Jongin,” Chanyeol whispers, watching Jongin’s unconscious body intensely. He swallows at the trickle of blood that comes from his hair and floats alongside his suspended body. “Wake up. Wake up,  _ Na Dsaeri _ .”

Many  _ many _ minutes go by, and Chanyeol doesn’t move a muscle. He checks the time count as each minute ticks by and he feels sick to his stomach. He watches in horror as ice begins to form over everything, even over Jongin himself. Chanyeol hears the translation of the alarms screaming in the background about the lack of oxygen. His stomach feels like lead until Jongin starts to stir, still suspended in the air from the lack of gravity on the ship. Chanyeol sighs in relief when his eyes start to flutter open.

Chanyeol watches Jongin, feeling physical pain at how hopeless the other looks. And if the prince thought it was hard watching his chosen one get hurt before, he definitely isn’t ready for what happens next.

He sees the camera starting to go fuzzy in areas, and the hologram shows the space to the right of Jongin starting to warp. Jongin must have seen it too, because he says a heartbreaking goodbye.

It’s not long before there is a harsh jerk of the ship, and Chanyeol watches as Jongin passes out from the force. His head slumps, but luckily he’s strapped into his seat. But Chanyeol has to see the ship around Jongin being torn apart, pieces of metal violently flying all over. The seat Jongin is in is destroyed almost immediately, and his body is limp. Chanyeol has to look away when Jongin’s leg collides with some of the bending metal, his helmet hitting the sides of the ship over and over. Suddenly, the video shuts off and ends, and the prince is left sitting there staring at the blank holoscreen.

He raises his hand to his mouth, eyes wide.

How Jongin even survived that, he will never know. How Jongin is still able to even  _ function _ is a miracle.

Wormholes still aren’t fully understood by the galaxy. But one thing is for sure, nothing survives going through them. His mind keeps playing the video on repeat, wanting nothing more than to go run back to Jongin and check him for more major injuries. He presses a few codes into the holopad, the same robotic voice from earlier sounding. 

“Send the last video to the head of the medical team. Attach a note asking her to review the areas Jongin hit, especially on his head.”

“Yes, my Prince.” 

Chanyeol closes the holopad, the room becoming engulfed in darkness. He lays back, staring at the ceiling.

He wants so badly to go to Jongin right now, to be by his side and make sure he’s there when he wakes up again. But Chanyeol really needs to rest. He feels the exhaustion creeping into his bones, settling there and making his limbs feel heavy and his movements sluggish.

Chanyeol turns over, trying to succumb to sleep but finding himself unable to no matter how hard he tries.

~

Jongin’s eyebrows furrow when he feels a tugging on his suit. He opens his eyes groggily, mumbling to his system. There is a tearing sound and the system talks to him. 

“ _ Tear in outer guard. Breach is possible. Take caution _ .”

Jongin’s eyes shoot open and he panics when he sees the aliens all around him, albeit they’re more human like now. They look like the man from the other morning, softer features and more _ normal _ looking that Jongin could hardly tell them apart from any other human. They try to fully remove his suit but freeze when Jongin yelps as he grapples at his oxygen tank that the aliens have seemed to detached while he was asleep. 

His suit has enough of a supply to last him days if he needs it, but he can’t let them take that away from him until he knows for sure that he can breathe here. 

One of the beings says something softly to him, her eyes genuine but the moment she reaches to tug at his helmet he screams. Suddenly there is a door sliding open behind those attending to him. Jongin’s head whips to the person that shoves their way into the room, seeing Chanyeol standing there.

Jongin looks at him, wide-eyed and panicked. Chanyeol seems to demand to know what’s going on, his expression softening when one of the staff explains. He says something to them all, and they instantly back away from Jongin. They go about their business in the room around him, looking at charts and machines that Jongin thinks may be measuring his vitals.

Chanyeol hesitantly comes over to him and sits on the bed. 

Jongin holds the oxygen tank closer to him, eyes stinging with tears. “They can’t take off my helmet.” 

Chanyeol’s eyes flit between his own, and Jongin tries to do exaggerated movements to mimic breathing. His grip tightens on the tank when Chanyeol’s gaze glints to it. 

Chanyeol says something, shaking his head and slowly reaching for Jongin’s helmet. 

“No!” Jongin jumps back, scared the other doesn’t understand. 

Chanyeol’s brows furrow for a minute, like he had just thought of something. 

He looks to one of the others in the room, asking something. They talk back and forth, both of them hesitantly looking at Jongin. Jongin tries to even his breathing in the meantime, heart trembling in anticipation. 

The other being brings out a tablet, something that oddly looks like a hologram. She taps something and the hologram grows, hovering in front of them and glowing a pearlescent sky blue. Jongin squints, brows furrowing as he looks at what is in front of him. Chanyeol watches him quietly as Jongin takes in the hologram. 

There is a cluster of circles in the middle, thin rings around them and other circles inside them as well. He squints, staring at the circles in the middle. His head hurts, but he realizes just why this hologram seems so familiar. Jongin’s breath hitches, looking to Chanyeol to confirm. Chanyeol smiles, waving his hand to gesture to the room and even takes a deep breath himself. 

”Oxygen?” 

Chanyeol blinks, trying to repeat the word but failing miserably. 

Jongin looks down for a moment, thinking. He looks to Chanyeol, nervous but finding himself trusting those around him. They wouldn’t lie to him… right?

Jongin shakily brings his hands to his helmet, grunting softly as he tries to take it off. He can hardly do it, though. He is so weak, and he finds himself whimpering without realizing it. Chanyeol seems to notice his struggle, quickly coming to his aid.

Jongin closes his eyes, holding his breath when the helmet is gently pulled off of his head. Jongin cringes when his head instantly starts to pound, taking a sharp breath and whimpering to himself. He holds his head. Did he hit it or something? Fuck it hurts so bad. 

He doesn't know how long he sits there with his head in his hands. But there are warm hands on his after a few moments, grounding him in the moment despite the overwhelming pain.

“Jongin?”

Jongin cracks his eyes open to see Chanyeol close to his face. He looks so concerned, even as one of the other’s in the room speaks quietly to him. Jongin finds himself admiring Chanyeol’s features when the other looks away, briefly awestruck at how handsome his side profile is. The pounding in his head doesn’t lessen, but that doesn’t keep Jongin from taking in just how eerily similar Chanyeol looks to a human.

Chanyeol nods after a few moments, and regards Jongin again. He says something soothingly to him, gently cradling his head and helping Jongin lay back. Jongin lets him despite the raging headache he has now. He feels lightheaded as he tries to breathe deeply, seeming to be crashing from the adrenaline high he just went through. Jongin opens and closes his eyes slowly, until he decides to just let them rest. 

Chanyeol talks quietly to the people around him, and Jongin now tries to ground himself through the pain by focusing on his voice. His hair is soaked in sweat and his face is damp. His breathing is shallow as he tries to relax.

Jongin’s eyes flutter open when he feels something cool against his skin. He weakly looks to see Chanyeol go to stroke his cheek, a wet cloth in his hand. He smiles a little when he catches Jongin gazing up at him, wordlessly dabbing Jongin’s forehead with the cloth as the others seem to look at the side of his head with various technology Jongin has never seen before.

Jongin’s lips part, the cool cloth soothing his headache as Chanyeol gently wipes off the dried blood there. He falls asleep like that, with Chanyeol delicately tending to him and the others quietly examining him. 

Jongin has accepted he’s no longer home. That these people are definitely not human. However, Jongin doesn’t have a choice but to let them do as they wish to him. So far they have been respectful, and even hesitant. They’re probably just as scared of Jongin as Jongin is of them. 

But there’s something about Chanyeol. He has been gentle and soothing, even from the beginning. He seems worried for Jongin’s well being, and wants so desperately to understand him. Jongin finds himself trusting him the most, especially when he has noticed how everyone listens to him almost like he is their leader. They all tend to hold their gazes a little lower when he’s around, so Jongin knows he’s important in some way. Jongin just hopes that in the end, he isn’t eaten or something.

With Chanyeol’s soothing touches and smooth voice, he hardly registers that he falls asleep. When he wakes up, though, he’s completely headache free. 

In fact, he even feels stronger now and he wonders just how long he was sleeping.

Chanyeol is still beside him though, legs crossed as he looks at something on what Jongin believes is some sort of tablet. Jongin moves and the other man’s gaze flits to him immediately. Chanyeol smiles a little, mumbling what sounds like a soft greeting. 

Jongin licks his lips. “H-Hello.” 

Chanyeol’s eyes turn sharp, looking at a screen off to the side. Jongin blinks, following his line of sight. On the screen, some sort of lettering pops up. 

Chanyeol grins, looking at Jongin. 

“Hello,” Chanyeol says perfectly. 

Jongin’s breath hitches, looking at the other man in shock. 

“How did you…” 

Chanyeol’s eyes are sparkling as he leans forward with excitement. He thinks for a few moments, hesitant in his movements as he goes to take Jongin’s hand. Jongin is amazed at how warm his fingers are against his skin, watching Chanyeol curiously as he brings Jongin’s hand behind Jongin’s ear. 

Jongin’s freezes when he feels something circular embedded into his skin. Chanyeol sees his panic, quickly turning his head and pointing to the device in his ear. Jongin’s brows furrow when he sees it is some sort of earbud connected to his clothing. Behind his slightly pointed ear, Jongin notices what looks like a silver patch. Chanyeol’s eyes are wide as he watches Jongin reach out and feel the same device there, hidden by his soft hair. Jongin swallows anxiously, sitting back. Chanyeol smiles again, about to speak, but he is tentative. He makes a series of gestures, especially from his mouth and then pointing at Jongin. He says something afterward, but Jongin thinks he understands. 

“You want me to speak?” 

Chanyeol’s head whips around to the screen, reading the single word that appears there and seeming to listen to it play through the single earbud in his ear.

“Speak,” Chanyeol says softly, perfectly yet again. He looks to Jongin, nodding profusely. “Speak.”

Jongin starts to understand. Somehow their technology is able to take their words to one another and translate it? Jongin reaches back behind his own ear, thinking that it must be from the implant they both have. His lips part in curiosity, looking at Chanyeol in amazement.

“I-Is this really all possible?”

Chanyeol’s brows furrow again, reading the screen. He takes a few minutes to respond, and Jongin assumes the translator may have taken a bit longer this time. Chanyeol licks his lips.

“Yes.” he says, thinking. He points to his head, eyes shining with concern. “How is...?”

Jongin smiles breathlessly. He tiredly gives a little thumbs up. “It’s better… I don’t know what your people did but I don’t feel any pain anymore.”

Chanyeol looks  _ very _ overwhelmed at all of the words Jongin just threw at him, but he gazes at Jongin’s thumbs up curiously. He looks at his own fist, eyes flitting back and forth as he tries to replicate it. Jongin finds himself chuckling at the sight of the other trying, even putting it next to Jongin’s as if to show him that he did it correctly. Chanyeol’s puppy dog-like excitement practically radiates off of him when Jongin chuckles a little, starstruck for some reason.

“You’re... pretty.” Chanyeol’s words make Jongin’s chuckle die on his tongue.

Jongin gulps, face feeling warm and his eyes widening a little. “I..uh.. Thank you.”

Chanyeol smiles wider, scooting closer. Jongin surprisingly doesn’t feel the need to move away, finding it comforting that Chanyeol seems so curious about him. 

This is how both of them find themselves quietly speaking to each other for hours.They only communicate through two or three words at a time, but it works. All Jongin knows is the longer he and Chanyeol speak, the more relief floods his system because this man seems so kind and gentle. 

Of course, Jongin is still on edge, but just being able to speak to someone and for them to somewhat understand him makes him feel a little less scared in this entire situation. Jongin is still in a lot of pain, but he finds this as a wonderful distraction, and Chanyeol’s initial excitement has not died down in the slightest. 

Some of their words are still butchered, but it’s getting better. Chanyeol just says that he has to keep talking, and that the system will learn.

Eventually the two of them end up in a comfortable silence. Jongin smiles at how much they’ve spoken with each other, even if it was just meaningless things. But now that the translator has somewhat improved, Jongin finds himself thinking of the one thing he’s been wanting to know since he woke up. 

His heart trembles as he tries to gain the courage to speak. Chanyeol notices his change in demeanor, looking at Jongin in concern. Jongin plays with the thick blanket Chanyeol had gotten him when he said he was cold. He curls in on himself a little. 

“Chanyeol?” Jongin whispers shakily. Chanyeol hums in response. “Where am I?” 

Jongin’s voice is broken now, unable to keep the fear out of his eyes as he gazes up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s expression falls, and he looks down at his hands. He seems at a loss for words. Maybe words he knows the translator doesn’t know yet. It takes a few moments, but eventually he looks back to Jongin. He softly smiles at him, putting both of his hands over his. 

“Home.” 

There’s comfort in the way Chanyeol gently squeezes his palm, skin so soothingly warm against his, and that keeps Jongin from overthinking at the moment. The other man just confirmed his suspicions, but assured him of something Jongin has been praying for from the start of this whole mess. 

That he’s welcome here. 

Jongin tears up a little. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ From here on out, the chapter updates will be much more lengthy because we're starting to dive into the plots :) I hope you're as excited as I am.

**Author's Note:**

> *tap dances into the room* hi guys i'm aLIVE. And I'm back with a space au. Honestly, this one has been rotting in my wips for over a year now and I just really really want to show it all to you ;^; A little warning, I have about 20k written so far, but this is going to be a long boy. Like LONG long, so please be prepared to have to be patient with me. I have a lot planned and I am excited to get to it :). I hope you liked the first chapter! Let me know what you think~  
> Stay healthy~


End file.
